BUFFY: You have no idea how much I missed you. Everyone. I wanted to call every day.

WILLOW: That doesn't matter, Buffy. It doesn't make it okay that you didn't.

JOYCE: What is this? Is this some sort of a joke?

BUFFY: Mom, please, could you, could you just...

JOYCE: No, I can't just! Buffy, what is this?

WILLOW: She was running away again.

BUFFY: No, I wasn't. I'm not sure.

JOYCE: Well, you better *get* sure and explain yourself right away! If you think you can just take off any time you feel like...

BUFFY: Stop it! Please! I don't know. I don't know what I'm doing.

JOYCE: Don't you leave this house, young lady! You know what? That's it. You and I are going to have a talk.

BUFFY: (implores) Mom, please...

JOYCE: (interrupts, mad) You know what? I don't care. I don't care what your friends think of me, or you for that matter, because you put me through the wringer, Buffy. I mean it. And I've had schnapps. Do you have *any* idea what it's been like?

BUFFY: Mom, this isn't the time...

JOYCE: (interrupts again) You can't imagine *months* of not knowing. Not knowing whether you're lying dead in a ditch somewhere or, I don't know, living it up...

BUFFY: (interrupts in turn) But you told me! You're the one who said I should go. You said if I leave this house, don't come back. You found out who I really was, and you couldn't deal. Don't you remember?

JOYCE: Buffy, you didn't give me time. You just dumped this thing on me and you expected me to get it. Well, guess what? Mom's not perfect, okay? I handled it badly. But that doesn't give you the right to punish me by running away.

BUFFY: Punish you? I didn't do this to punish you!

XANDER: Well, you did. You should've seen what you put her through.

BUFFY: Great. Thanks. Anybody else want to weigh in here? (sees Jonathon) How about you by the dip?

JONATHAN: No, thanks. I'm good.

XANDER: You know, maybe you don't want to hear it, Buffy, but taking off like you did was incredibly selfish and stupid.

BUFFY: Okay! Okay. I screwed up. I know this. But you have no idea! You have, you have no idea what happened to me or what I was feeling!

XANDER: Did you even try talking to anybody?

BUFFY: There was nothing that anybody could do. Okay? I just had to deal with this on my own.

XANDER: Yeah, and you see how well *that* one worked out. You can't just bury stuff, Buffy. It'll come right back up to get you.

(...)

BUFFY: As if I even could've gone to you, Xander. You made your feelings about Angel and I perfectly clear.

XANDER: Look. I'm sorry that your honey was a demon, but most girls don't hop a Greyhound over boy troubles.

CORDELIA: Time out, Xander. Put yourself in Buffy's shoes for just a minute. Okay? I'm Buffy, freak of nature, right? Naturally I pick a freak for a boyfriend, and then he turns into Mr. Killing Spree, which is pretty much my fault...

BUFFY: (interrupts) Cordy! Get outta my shoes!

CORDELIA: I'm just trying to help, Buffy.

WILLOW: Buffy, you never...

BUFFY: Willow, please. I can't take this from you, too.

XANDER: Let her finish! You at least owe her that.

BUFFY: God, Xander! Do you think you could at least stick to annoying me on your own behalf?

XANDER: Fine! You stop acting like an idiot, I'll stop annoying you!

BUFFY: Oh, you wanna talk acting like an idiot? Nighthawk?

OZ: Okay. I'm gonna step in now, being Referee Guy.

WILLOW: No, let them go, Oz. Talking about it isn't helping. We might as well try some violence.

(a zombie smashes in)

WILLOW: I was being sarcastic!

(Zombies attack Xander and other guests. Xander manages to get rid of the zombie that's attacking him.)

BUFFY: Xander, kitchen!

(she tosses him an iron from the fireplace to use as a weapon)

XANDER: I got your back!

• Angsty Traumatic Confrontations
• Buffy & her mom
• solving things with violence
• Willow & Buffy
• Xander & Buffy

written by: Marti Noxon; Transcribed by: AleXander Thompson. Full transcript at:
http://www.studiesinwords.de/36deadman.html